This application claims the priority of German patent 197 38 833.7-42, filed Sep. 5, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a floor system for a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a floor system which is reinforced in the area of the passenger compartment.
A motor vehicle having a reinforced floor system is known, for example, from commonly-owned German Patent Document DE 39 33 417 C2, in which case, for reinforcing the floor structure, three constructionally identical, deep-drawn sheet metal plates are connected with one another in a stacked arrangement optionally with the interposition of armored plastic materials. According to such a method of construction, a floor system can be formed which, in comparison to a normally used sheet metal plate as a vehicle floor, has a considerably improved resistance to deformations. For example, also in the event of a lateral impact of another passenger car, this has a favorable effect on the occupant safety of the motor vehicle.
However, the known floor system can be used only if its circumferential contour can be kept largely constant along the thickness of the floor system and no excessive deviations in the shaping of the bottom side and the top side of the floor system are endeavored, which will frequently be the case for constructive reasons. In addition, the improved stability of the floor system in the event of a lateral impact is at the expense of a considerable weight increase, which will frequently be undesirable.
It is an object of the invention to further develop a motor vehicle having a reinforced floor system such that the danger of excessive deformations of the vehicle occupant compartment in the event of the lateral impact of another passenger car onto the motor vehicle can clearly be reduced.
This and other goals have been achieved according to the present invention by providing a floor system for a motor vehicle, having an enlarged thickness in adjacent a passenger compartment, the floor system being reinforced, wherein the floor system has at least one deflecting slope on an underside, said deflecting slope extending, starting from a side of the floor system, diagonally downward toward a longitudinal center plane of the motor vehicle.
This and other goals have been achieved according to the present invention by providing a floor system for a motor vehicle, comprising: an underbody to be arranged below a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, said underbody including a central portion arranged at least approximately horizontally and extending in a longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, said central portion having lateral sides, said underbody further including a deflecting slope portion extending diagonally upwardly and outwardly from each of said lateral sides of said central portion, respectively.
This and other goals have been achieved according to the present invention by providing a method of making a floor system for a motor vehicle, said method comprising the acts of: arranging an underbody below a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, said underbody including a central portion arranged at least approximately horizontally and extending in a longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, said central portion having lateral sides, said underbody further including a deflecting slope portion extending diagonally upwardly and outwardly from each of said lateral sides of said central portion, respectively.
The floor system of the motor vehicle designed according to the invention causes the front end of the passenger car laterally colliding with the motor vehicle to partially underride the floor system, whereby a considerable portion of the kinetic energy of the impact can be converted into a deformation of the front end which is normally constructed as a shock-absorbing deformation zone without resulting in significant intrusions of the deflecting slopes of the underbody. It is understood that the deflecting effect of the deflecting slopes will be particularly effective if they are situated at the same level as the bumpers of the colliding passenger car. However, a front end which is situated correspondingly higher could be flattened to an underriding height by a sufficiently stiff side wall.
A deflecting slope is considered to be particularly effective which, relative to the horizontal width direction of the vehicle, extends at an angle of approximately 30 degrees.
In principle, it is also contemplated to provide a deflecting slope only on the driver's side under the occupant compartment of a motor vehicle.
In order to improve the occupant protection during a lateral impact independently of the impact side, opposite deflecting slopes are expediently arranged on both vehicle sides and adjoin a plane center area of the underbody, in which case a mirror-symmetrical arrangement of the deflecting slopes is particularly advantageous also because of the uniform flow-around forces. As the result of the variation of the plane center area, the floor system can be adapted without any problem to different vehicle widths.
A particularly effective occupant protection is provided if the floor system is constructed as a thick hollow floor. A particularly good compromise between a good utilization of space in the vehicle interior and an optimal protective effect of the deflecting slopes is a course of the vehicle interior floor approximately at half the height of the deflecting slopes.
In the interest of a good utilization of space, a storage space can be provided in the hollow cross-section between the underbody and the vehicle interior floor. Because of the deflecting function of the deflecting slopes, the floor system can accommodate not only an installation space for electric and electronic control units but, because of the protected installation position, also, for example, a fuel tank for combustible fuels.
The floor system of the motor vehicle body is preferably reinforced by one or several crash cross members in order to provide the transverse stiffness not only by way of the interconnection consisting of the underbody and the vehicle interior floor. In order to nevertheless without any problems be able to lay lines or the like without any excess length in the longitudinal direction of the floor system, each crash cross member preferably extends at a sufficient distance above the underbody.
Furthermore, the floor system according to the invention is particularly suitable for vehicles which have the technology to tilt when cornering and whose body is laterally tilted when cornering approximately corresponding to the wheels of the vehicle. In this case, an adaptation of the deflecting slopes can take place to the intended maximal cornering tilt. As the result, it can be achieved that the vehicle body or the floor system does not require an excessive ground clearance in the center area in order to permit the desired cornering tilt of the vehicle. When the vehicle, which tilts when cornering, is driving straight ahead, the effect of the deflecting slopes which reduces the side impact is nevertheless maintained.
So that the reinforced floor system will not too disadvantageously affect the vehicle weight, a light metal, particularly aluminum, is provided as the material for at least portions of the floor system.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.